Raintree County was filmed in 1956, premiered and released in late
1957 by Metro Goldwyn Mayer towards the end of Hollywood's Golden
Age, as publicized by M-G-M, "in the great tradition of
civil war romance". The movie was lavishly conceived, made
for the widescreen, with a great musical score by Johnny Green,
starring Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Eva Marie Saint,
Lee Marvin, Nigel Patrick, Rod Taylor, Agnes Moorehead.

--On the Ultra Panavision/MGM Camera 65mm
project"The first film in
the process, Raintree County, was printed only in CinemaScope
compatible 35mm." This page covers the "new" wide-screen
camera that was used for filming Raintree County &
has photos including director Edward Dmytryk and Eva Marie Saint.
This page also has technical information on the M-G-M Camera
65, its "Ultra Panavision . . . the lenses were anamorphic
rather than spherical." http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/wingup2.htm

--On July 24, 2007 there was a two week
Festival Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Release of the
MGM classic film "Raintree County." This began in Danville,
Kentucky with an Opening Night World
Premiere of A Jarful of Fireflies, an original comedy
about the filming of Raintree County. Audio memories
of the Kentucky experience and more: The
Pioneer Playhouse PODCASTS.

~

Soundtrack
&Score

--A 2007 double audio CD released--

First release of the RAINTREE COUNTY soundtrack
with the captivating 1957 Nat King Cole M-G-M Orchestral
vocal restored.

Including:"The
Song of Raintree County"
and "Never Till Now" - Music by Johnny Green, Lyrics by
Paul Francis WebsterGenerousSAMPLE
LISTENING on the Screen
Archives Entertainment (SAE) Raintree County
page.

January 2007 Release

"Film
Score Monthly's definitive edition
-- on the eve of the movie's 50th anniversary -- features a comprehensive
chronological program of Green's masterpiece (containing many
previously unreleased cues and passages), along with a bonus
section of alternate and unused cues. The entire score (save
one-half of one cue) has been remixed and remastered from the
original 35mm stereo master tapes for vastly improved sound quality."

--From FSM publicity
materials

"Cause for celebration,
FSM reunites the orchestral score with the main title vocal performed
by Nat King Cole -- Cole was a recording
artist for Capitol Records, and previous albums had to replace
his vocal with generic chorus for contractual reasons, while
Cole's version of the song came out separately on a 45 rpm single.
Cole's never-before-heard end title vocal is included as well
(dropped from the film), while the alternate chorus versions
are included as bonus tracks." --From FSM
publicity materials

"This album presents neither
the literal film soundtrack, nor a replication of the familiar
RCA tracks. Instead, it is a new program designed to encompass
as much of the complete score as possible, while retaining certain
RCA versions and segues with notable musicality. The second half
of disc two than features a variety of alternate versions, source
cues an demos."--From the liner notes by Ross
Care

Twenty-six
pages of liner notes by Ross Care including a program commentary
relating each track to the film's context, plus 21 images.

* * *

Johnny Green, Composer of the Score
of Raintree County

"Among
film music buffs, Raintree County has long been celebrated
for Johnny Green's landmark musical score, one of the most lyrical
and atmospheric of all time." --From the FSM
CD liner notes by Ross Care

Raintree County onSoundtrack, The Cinemascore
& Soundtrack ArchivesClickHEREfor An Interview with John Green by Ford A. Thaxton and A
discussion of the Score by Johnny Green.
Special thanks to Soundtrack for this posting.

"The Incomparable Nat King
Cole" - Cole singing "The
Song of Raintree County," lyrics by Paul Francis Webster,
music by John Green. Nat King Cole (1957) live
and as recorded.
(Note that YouTube & Google links can be short lived; if
broken search).

Four-Hole OCARINA tablature for "The Song of Raintree County", Click Here.

~

Movie Clips on YouTube Including Several Roadshow
Cuts

--Raintree County (1957) Trailer
. There are many Raintree County movie clips that spring up on
YouTube.
--Raintree County, clip with
- DeForest Kelley
--Roadshow Cuts? The roadshow version contained an additional
14 minutes, 48 seconds (9 trims). Alterations had been posted
on YouTube comparing the Roadshow to the later general release
version but these have appartently been moved or removed. Information,
Roadshow links sought here: @raintreecounty.com
. Please put "Raintree County" in the Subject.
Fyi, here's a list of scenes contained
in the roadshow version that are not in the general release version:

--As part of the overture,
Nat Cole sings "The Song of Raintree County."
--With nearly 21 minutes of footage not seen since its 1957 premiere
engagements. Color/187 Minutes.
--Including special features before the movie: behind-the-scenes
documentary Operation Raintree and the original theatrical
trailer.
--Raintree County is presented in a "letterbox" widescreen
format preserving the 2.35:1 "scope" aspect ratio of
its original 35mm theatrical exhibition.

http://www.amazon.com/ Search under "Used Videos" or "VHS"
for Raintree County. Keep the faith that there will soon
be a DVD!

~

Raintree County
Memorabilia

---Image provided by David
Nale--

To: Raintree County Brief, by Stephen
V. Russell, May 4, 1990

And inquires concerning Raintree County
Movie memorabilia can also be made
through this link: